A. Koreshkov: «Barys» and national team of Kazakhstan are inseperable

1 April 2015 17:06 1591

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ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Alexander Koreshkov was named president of HC "Barys" a few days ago. He is one of the most respected specialists of the game in Kazakhstan and worldwide. During his career he won the championship of Kazakhstan and Russia, Euro Hockey League and Euro Super Cup.

Being a member of the national team of Kazakhstan he participated in World Championships and Olympic Games. Recently, he was involved in preparation of Kazakhstani teams for international events. He is also a director general of men's national teams of Kazakhstan both youth and men's .

- Alexander, we congratulate you on your appointment! What are your thoughts and feelings becoming a president of Barys?

- Well, it is a great honor for me to head such a team with such great history. Moreover, it is not just "Barys", I also head "Snow Leopards", "Nomad", women's team "Tomiris" and the youth sports school. I'm very thankful for the trust in my ability to lead, I will exert every effort to justify the credit of trust.

- Do you already have any tasks set regarding further development of the team or it is an issue left for the future?

- There are no any specific tasks yet. The most important thing now is to create a good atmosphere within the team. We all have to be aimed at the results. Just think of the conditions the hockey players now have in Kazakhstan. Being a player I could only dream of such at that time.

Presently, hockey is being developed thanks to the measures taken in the country. Hockey is becoming more and more popular in Kazakhstan. The new arena will be built for 12 thousand seats and it is going to meet all international standards for hosting sports events of any level including Olympic Games. All these efforts will inevitably result in popularization and development of the game.

- Barys and the national team of Kazakhstan are still equal?

- Of course, they are. It can't be different. Barys and the national team of Kazakhstan are inseparable. There is no other way for us. We need the players of the national team to gain more experience of playing at a high level. The KHL is an ideal platform serving for these purposes.

- Do you still have the duties of the general manager of the national team of Kazakhstan?

- I am still occupying the post. The preparation for the upcoming world championship has been held for a long time already. The training camp starts on April 4. Now, we have a task to bring to the camp as many players as possible, so the coaches could choose the best. We plan that besides Barys players we will have five people from Ust-Kamenogorsk, four people from Pavlodar, five people from Karaganda and one from Rudny.

- There are rumours that players that were not re-signed by Barys are hardly willing to participate for the national team. What do you know about it?

- Thesituation is the following: the players have contracts expiring on April 30. Moreover, when a player is signed by Barys, it means he is considered a potential player of the national team of Kazakhstan. Therefore, I think that new contracts with Kazakhstani players should be signed after the world championship. It ends on April 25. Besides, playing for the national team players should consider as an honor and not trade it as some types of products.

- Does the change of the president of the team mean any another serious changes for Barys?

- There will be no serious changes. Today is my first full working day as a president of the club. I will talk to the people, find out who wants to continue to work, who doesn't. I was instructed to submit any proposals regarding the organization of the club's structure in order to increase the effectiveness of the work at all levels including the commercial part. It is based on the fact that the team will be playing in its new 12-thousand seat arena.

- OK. But speaking of Barys players again, do you know who is going to stay and who's out already?

- I need some time to sort out the situation. I know what players have expiring contracts, but I need to talk to the players, managers and the board to come to conclusion about each player. I think that the goal for our players should be successful participation within the national team of Kazakhstan.

- There are some players that are not members of the national team of Kazakhstan but they are players who the fans really worry about - these are Nigel Dawes and Jan Laco. Whatcanyousayaboutthesetwo?

- Like I said I need some time to sort out the situation. These issues are still the ones to solve. However, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that I do not control everything. All the decisions in such a large-scale and national sports project as Barys are made together, not just by somebody alone.

- Soon, you will be working with Andrei Nazarov within the national team. What is your opinion about him?

- Andrei Nazarov is a very experienced specialist. He had a long and quite successful career as a player, moreover he played in the NHL. He has a lot of experience as a coach at different levels, which is a plus. I can also say that we are going to work together not just within the national team but in Barys as well. Like I already said the national team and Barys are inseparable. Now, we just have to aim at the results and work hard.